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Bellevue Naturopathic Doctor Identified as Snoqualmie Avalanche Victim

The woman who died after being caught in an avalanche near Snoqualmie Pass has been identified by The Seattle Times as Dr. Joy Yu, a Bellevue naturopathic physician.

The woman who died after being caught in an avalanche near Snoqualmie Pass has been identified by The Seattle Times as Dr. Joy Yu, a Bellevue naturopathic physician.

Yu and a Renton dentist, Mitch Hungate, were caught in two separate avalanches that took place just before 1 p.m. Saturday. Hungate, whose snow-shoeing companions escaped the slide, has been missing since Saturday.

According to reports, Yu was walking her dog when they were struck by the second of two avalanches in the area.

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Yu, 55, practiced at the Creekside Center for Integrative Medicine and earned her doctor of naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University, according to her bio on the Creekside Center's website.

According to her bio, Yu was born and raised in Seoul and enjoyed hiking with her dog, named Blue.

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Hungate was caught in the first avalanche on Granite Mountain. The search for him has been called off because of hazardous conditions, but searchers may be able to return to the area on Tuesday, Sgt. Cindi West of the King County Sheriff's Office said Monday morning.

The second avalanche was on Red Mountain, which caught a dozen hikers from Sammamish, according to King5 News.

Yu was not part of their group, but they saw her walking nearby. Following the avalanche, the group realized she was missing and began searching for her. They found her about 45 minutes later and dug her out of approximately five feet of snow.

Yu, who was reported initially as not moving but somewhat conscious, was loaded on a sled and hiked out by Search-and-Rescue teams, but died as she was being carried back to the trailhead. The King County Medical Examiner reported Monday that she had died of asphyxiation from being trapped under the snow.


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